Optimism
by kamoned
Summary: In the Kingdom of Hogwarts, war with the Muggle Kingdom has split it in two. You can never really trust someone, not unless they have the bravery to speak up for themselves.


**Disclaimer:** Characters by JK Rowling.

**A/N:** A very long AU one-shot, where the Muggle and wizarding worlds are different kingdoms constantly at war. Heavily inspired by all of Foxes songs.

**Trigger Warning:** Hints at rape.

* * *

_Take my hand and lead me out from here_

_Hunted down, their footsteps drawing near_

_I knew you would come for me_

_I'm sorry you're in so deep_

- Foxes. "White Coats."

* * *

Petunia swore she'd never forgive her if she left.

She left anyway.

Without food, how would they live? She tried to convince herself she was doing the right thing, however much it didn't feel like it.

She couldn't ignore the danger of leaving at such a time. The two kingdoms were at war once again – the Muggle and Hogwarts Kingdoms were. The Hogwartians were arrogant – they believed themselves superior to Muggles.

Petunia had a point – she always did – but Lily didn't care. It was either live or die, and she refused to let her sister die. They're parents had been killed by the Hogwartians weeks previous, and living had become something of a struggle. Except, the only way to get food was to go into the Hogwarts Kingdom, as they had stolen most food from the Muggles. They stole most _things_ from the Muggles, actually.

Slytherin Castle – where the lot of the food was being taken. Lily had been planning this escapade for weeks, and she was not going to let an overprotective sister get in the way.

All she really had to do was get in through one of the minuscule kitchen windows and there would be the jackpot. The biggest problem, truthfully, would be not getting caught…

Creeping around the back of the stone castle, she found the window she was looking for. And she would've made it through said window, had it not been for the pair of hands that had suddenly latched onto her arms.

"What are you doing here?" a nasty voice questioned. The hands' grip tightened as Lily was led away. She struggled but the man's grip never faltered.

"No reason," she lied, thrashing around in the man's arms.

"Are you a Muggle?" he demanded, pulling her to, she noticed in horror, the entrance.

"N-no," she said nervously, now trying harder to escape.

"You are," he accused. Lily could feel his breath on her ear, he was that close.

"No! Let go of me!" Lily realized there was not going to be a way out of her predicament without a fight. If she failed, she would not see Petunia again, and her sister would die without the food.

The man just used one of his hands to cover her mouth. He was clever about it, unfortunately, and kept out of the way of her elbows.

Lily shut her eyes tightly, cursing herself. She failed. If the Hogwartians didn't kill her now, they'd keep her as their servant, which just might've been worse.

"What filth have you brought here, Mulciber?" another male voice asked. Lily opened her eyes to analyze her surroundings.

She was in a cold, dark green room with three other men. One – who had just spoken – had short black hair and frosty dark blue eyes. The other man had greasy black hair and guarded black eyes that watched her closely. They were calculating, yet at the same time, there was an underlying hint of something else there. Something that looked disgustingly like greed.

"A Muggle. Near the kitchens," said a maliciously grinning Mulciber. The blue eyed man's lips twitched into a similarly villainous grin.

"Oh?" the man sneered at Lily. "And what was she doing there?"

"Probably scrounging for food, like the filth that she is," Mulciber drawled, roughly pushing Lily forward. The other man walked slowly towards her.

He touched her face. "Such a pretty girl. Shame she's a Muggle – though I'm sure she'll be useful."

"Can I have her, Avery? I found her, after all," Mulciber said, his grin widening. Avery shot him a look.

"You, Mulciber, wish to have the pretty Muggle as your servant?" Avery laughed cruelly. "You, Mulciber, who fucked up Lord Riddle's orders just last week? There's a reason you were on patrol this night," said Avery, smirking. "Surely, you are not worthy."

Mulciber's grin vanished. "And, you are, Avery? I seem to remember you letting a Muggle go not two weeks ago. And for what? Lady Black? Who's betrothed to Lestrange? So weak willed, Avery," Mulciber tutted and Avery growled.

"Then who shall have her?" Avery asked his mockingly. Lily wanted to yell at them for talking of such things right in front of her, as if she were some kind of property to be won.

Abruptly, Avery turned back around to look at their other companion. "Snape?" he asked and Snape looked away from Lily.

"Yes, Avery?" Snape asked curtly.

"Do you wish to have the Muggle girl?" Avery asked, grinning in an unnerving way.

"As my servant?" Snape asked tersely, his eyes returning to Lily. She jutted out her chin defiantly.

Avery smirked. "Yes. And maybe for a little bit more. I know you haven't had anything for a while now."

Snape was silent for a minute, observing Lily, who attempted to look brave. He looked back at Avery lazily.

"I suppose," he drawled. His companions grinned. Mulciber shoved Lily into Snape and he caught her deftly.

"Should we inform Slughorn?" Mulciber asked and Avery sneered at him.

"Why would we tell that buffoon of any of our servants? The only reason he's still here is King Dumbledore – who's not fit to be in control of a _pigsty_, let alone the Kingdom," said Avery. Lily wondered who this King Dumbledore was – if he was in control of Hogwarts Kingdom, wouldn't he be leading the war? If so, why would Avery disapprove of him?

Mulciber seemed to not have anything more to say to this. Avery smirked.

"Will we be seeing each other later?" Snape asked. Avery and Mulciber nodded, the former grinning malevolently, before turning away, presumably to their quarters.

Snape pulled Lily along to the servants' quarters and Lily tried not to appear as frightened as she was on the inside.

They passed the kitchen on their way there and Lily privately remarked upon the irony of being so close to what she wanted and not being able to get it.

Snape opened the cleverly hidden doors of the servants' quarters and, with surprising gentleness, left her inside.

The room was massive, and there were servants sleeping everywhere. Most were women. Some slept on the floor and others on makeshift beds. Some slept with family members and others slept alone. But not many of them were asleep, Lily could tell, from the uneven breathing.

The door slammed inconsiderately behind her and more of the servants woke up. Lily stood in shock for a moment, trying to comprehend how people lived like that – how she was supposed to live like that. She thought about her sister, who would live alone hunger and hating Lily for leaving her. Lily hated herself for leaving as well.

She lied down next to another girl who looked around her age. The girl was not even making an attempt to appear asleep, as her eyes were wide open. She looked over at Lily.

"You're new?" the girl whispered. Lily turned to look at the petite girl.

"Yes," said Lily. The girl reached out and touched her arm.

"I'm sorry," she said sincerely.

"It's not your fault," _it's mine_, Lily mentally added.

"I'm Mary Macdonald," the girl said, smiling sadly.

"I'm Lily Evans." Lily smiled back. "How long have you been here?"

Mary turned back to look at the ceiling. "Three years."

* * *

Mary took it upon herself to show Lily the ropes. Lily had learned a lot from her, like how to act and not to speak unless spoken to. Lily was sure that without Mary, she'd have been dead long ago.

Nevertheless, sometimes Lily's curiosity often got the best of her.

Days after the start of Lily's service, the most prominent residents of Slytherin Castle held an important meeting. Both Lily and Mary had been there, because their masters – Snape and Mulciber, respectively – had been there.

"Lord Riddle has big plans," Snape started curtly – he said everything curtly, as Lily had quickly learned.

Mary sent a wide-eyed look at Lily, who was confused. Who was Lord Riddle? His name had been dropped frequently.

"Really? And how would you know, Snape?" Avery challenged.

Snape sneered at him. "Lord Riddle trusts me the most – especially with _your_ record." Avery was silenced.

"As I was saying, Lord Riddle has plans to infiltrate Hogwarts Kingdom. He's looking for more followers – he asked me to try to convince the rest of Slytherin Castle to join him," said Snape.

"But, right under Dumbledore's nose?" a man who looked a bit younger than the rest of his companions asked nervously. "We couldn't pull it off, certainly. Especially with his lackeys from Gryffindor Castle."

"Have you no confidence in our lord, Black?" another man asked. Lily had learned his name was Nott.

"No, I do, but my brother and Potter – they're always poking their noses in places they shouldn't. You should know by now that anything we do will be closely watched and most likely thwarted by them, don't you?" Black asked.

Some of the others sitting at the table seemed thoughtful but Snape's scowl only deepened. "Potter and Black," he spat hatefully. "I have means of getting in their way. Lupin and Pettigrew as well."

Lily wondered desperately who they were and why Snape hated them so. Her eyes followed the conversation frantically.

Goyle looked faintly amused. "Not to be rude, Snape, but you've never beaten them before. What makes now so great?"

The look Snape gave Goyle would've been enough to freeze fire.

"Are you calling me _weak_, Goyle?" Snape asked, glaring fiercely.

Goyle sputtered. "O-of course not!

"Then I'd advise you stop talking before you say something that gets you in serious trouble," Snape sneered.

Avery thought then would be the perfect time to speak up. "Are Malfoy and the Lestranges going to make an appearance?"

"And Regulus' cousin, Bellatrix," Snape said, turning away from Goyle with one last glare.

"Black," Mulciber addressed the younger man. "I've just remembered – I heard your cousin, Andromeda, has just married a _Muggle_," he said with disgust.

Black looked uncomfortable. "She's been disowned."

"No, I know – just, with all the people in your family turning to the other side – are you going to remain loyal to the cause?" Mulciber grinned wickedly.

"N-no!" spluttered Black. "I-I would never! You should know that, Mulciber." Black attempted to glare but Mulciber just continued to grin.

"There's no time for gossip," Snape sneered, "we need to start preparing for Lord Riddle's arrival. We've only a fortnight," he said, leveling all his confidants with his icy stare.

"Regulus," he started suddenly, looking at the handsome young boy. "We'll need you to talk to the other residents of the castle to recruit them."

Black nodded jerkily.

"Crabbe, Goyle, you'll be on guard duty. We'll need a list of everyone who travels in and out of the castle."

Both Crabbe and Goyle nodded obediently.

"Mulciber, it'll be your job to distract Slughorn."

Mulciber grinned excitedly.

"Nott, you'll be going to Ravenclaw Castle to see of their allegiance. Make sure not to be seen by any residents of Gryffindor or Hufflepuff see you."

Nott nodded determinedly.

"Avery and I will be making sure Lord Riddle gets in the Kingdom without trouble. Meaning – Dumbledore, Potter, Black, Lupin, and Pettigrew."

Avery nodded at Snape.

"Meeting dismissed," said Snape and his companions stood out of their seats.

"Mudblood," Mulciber said, using his 'clever' nickname for Mary, "come with me."

Mary smiled at Lily before adopting a blank look and following her master of the room. Once the rest of the people at the meeting had left with their servants, Snape motioned for Lily to follow him to his quarters.

He had her stand at the door while he smoked a cigar in his chair.

"I know you have questions," he said matter-of-factly. "You're much too curious for your own good, Evans."

She made an effort to look defiant. "That hardly sounds like a bad thing."

"_Here_ it is," he said, but he wasn't sneering. "In Slytherin Castle, there are rules to follow, I hope you know. For your sake, don't ask questions. It'll be safer for you that way."

"Are you helping me?" she asked, bewildered.

"That depends," was all he said.

"Will you answer my questions?"

"That also depends."

"Who's Lord Riddle?" she asked eagerly. Snape looked at her, calculating but somewhat amused.

He smirked. "The leader of this war with your kind. But, you seem different from them. Intelligent. You have some sense, surprisingly," he said thoughtfully.

Lily felt indignant but she covered it up. "Who's King Dumbledore?"

Snape's eyes flashed darkly. "He's a Muggle-loving fool. He wants us to leave the Muggles alone." Snape scoffed.

Personally, Lily didn't see anything wrong with such a man who obviously had some respect for human life. But Snape didn't seem too bad to her. With the way Mulciber treated Mary, she guessed she should feel lucky.

"Who're Potter and Black?" Lily asked, remembering the way he had talked about them.

This time, Snape scowled. "They're loyal to Dumbledore. They're residents of Gryffindor Castle. They're arrogant – especially Potter. I hate them."

From the look of pure hatred in Snape's eyes, Lily did not think he was exaggerating. "But isn't Black the brother of your friend?"

"Yes. Black was supposed to be a resident of Slytherin Castle, like the rest of his family – but he wasn't. _Potter_," he spat the name, "got to him before we could."

Lily was silent for a while, trying to think of another question. "Who's Slughorn?" she settled on asking.

"As Dumbledore's in control of the Kingdom, the fool, he assigned Sir Slughorn as the Head of Slytherin. Slughorn's may just be more foolish than Dumbledore – he tries to stay Lord Riddle's good graces while continuing to be loyal to the King."

"And, what's Lord Riddle planning to do?" she asked hopefully.

Snape smirked at her. "I cannot answer that. Perhaps at a later date?"

Lily nodded.

"Now," said Snape, "I'm going to rest. You're dismissed."

Lily shuffled quickly out of the room and nearly ran to the servants' quarters to think about everything she'd learned.

* * *

Things in the castle returned to normal, except the most prominent members seemed more tense than usual.

And then, something unexpected happened once again.

Crabbe entered Snape's quarters, where he was eating and Lily was waiting on him. "Potter's come to speak to you," he said.

Snape glowered. "Evans, go fetch him for me," he commanded.

Lily obliged, somewhat excited to finally meet the most hated but feared person in Slytherin Castle.

She followed Crabbe to the entrance of the castle where a man was waiting. He was lanky with messy jet black hair and bright hazel eyes – Lily guessed he was Potter.

Potter nodded at her, grinning, but she kept her face carefully blank, like Mary had instructed.

She led the way to Snape's quarters, though he seemed to already know the way. On their way, Potter made sure to wave at everyone he saw, still grinning foolishly while they scowled spitefully at him.

"Potter," Snape greeted coldly when they had arrived.

Potter smirked. "Snivellus. Is this your new servant?"

_Snivellus?_

Snape glared. "Yes."

"Well, I must tell you, your other one is having quite the time at Gryffindor Castle," Potter smirked.

"What are you doing here, Potter?"

Potter's eyes flashed darkly at the reminder. "I want to know why the hell Nott keeps showing up at Rawenclaw Castle."

This time, Snape was smirking. "What's it to you, Potter?"

"Well, with the business your crowd gets up to, it's pretty suspicious that one of you keeps going to a different castle. Especially with the fact that you lot are so social," Potter added sarcastically.

"And how would you know Nott's at Ravenclaw?"

"Maybe it's because I have friends living in Ravenclaw?"

"How would I know that?"

"Because you – you know what, Snape?" Potter made an attempt to calm down. "I know you're trying to avoid answering my question. But I swear to Godric, Snape, if your _master_ is planning some mad scheme that ends with some dead Muggle families, you can bet I'll be there to stop it!"

"Aren't you _brave_, Potter?" Snape asked dryly.

"I'd rather people not die for the arrogance of everybody in this dratted castle!"

"_You're_ not in any place to call anyone arrogant, Potter," said Snape.

"I hope, for your sake, Riddle isn't planning anything, because there will be hell to pay, from me," Potter threatened.

"You won't win, Potter. You're going to die on the other side." Snape showed no remorse at this.

"Dying on the right side is better than living on the wrong one."

Snape looked over at Lily. "Evans-"

Potter snorted. "'Evans'? Playing favorites, are you, Snape?"

"Leave my presence, Potter," Snape demanded.

"Certainly," smirked Potter as he bowed. Lily's lips twitched against her better judgment. Potter pivoted gracefully and strutted out of the room.

Snape saw her looking at the door Potter just swaggered out of.

"That is why, if you were wondering, I despise him," he said and Lily could see here he was coming from.

While Potter's heart might've been in the right place – more so than Snape's – something about him unnerved her. Maybe it was the fact that his eyes were always sparkling with mischief. He seemed like the kind of guy who liked to throw himself into danger. And don't get her started on his maturity – it was mostly nonexistent, to say the least.

"Yes, I definitely see why," agreed Lily absently.

* * *

"The residents of Slytherin Castle hate them," Mary had said, when Lily asked her about Potter and Black that night.

"Yes, I know, but why?" Lily asked.

"For wanting to help the Muggles mostly. But they've done other things. Like, two months ago, they found out about how the residents were treating their servants and caused a mass breakout of the castle. The residents were _not_ happy, I can assure you."

Something clicked in Lily's mind – _your other one is having quite the time at Gryffindor Castle_, Potter had said.

"Who was Snape's servant?" she asked curiously.

Mary's face darkened. "Dorcas Meadowes. It's a good thing she got out when she did – she'd had courage, and it got her into a lot of trouble. A week before the breakout, Lord Riddle had come to talk to Snape. Dorcas had been rude to him, and he tried to kill her. I'm reckon she's still on his black list."

Lily was shocked. "Snape didn't try to help her?"

"What do you mean?" Mary questioned, aghast. "Of course Snape didn't help her! He hated her more than anything!"

_Playing favorites, are you, Snape?_ Potter's voice floated around in Lily's head.

"But – But he's alright to me!"

Mary gave her a stern look. "Ulterior motives. You can never trust anyone too much around here, Lily. The sooner you learn that the better. Snape does not like you – he thinks you're filth! He thinks every servant is filth."

"Then why is he so nice to me?" Lily asked.

"Oh, Lily," Mary said, as if Lily was very naïve. "You're pretty. I think you know what he wants."

Lily brought a hand up to cover her gaping mouth. "He wouldn't!"

"He would. They all would."

* * *

Mary was gone the next day. Lily had enough sense to know what happened to her.

* * *

Lily had been called to Snape's quarters.

Mulciber was there, sneering at her. "Have you heard about my servants escape?"

"Yes," she replied shortly, though she was worried on the inside. Where had Mary gone? Why didn't Mary tell her? Was Mary alright?

"So what can you tell me?" Mulciber asked.

"I have nothing to say to you," said Lily coldly. Snape glared at her.

"Listen, Mudblood," Mulciber said. "I am superior to you. You have no right to talk to me in such a way. Now tell me where my servant is!"

"I don't know where Mary is!" Lily said sharply. She wasn't lying, after all.

Mulciber fixed her with a cold stare before stalking petulantly out of the room.

"What was that?" Snape demanded.

"What d'you mean? I really don't know where Mary is!" protested Lily.

"Mulciber is, like he said, your superior. You cannot speak to him in such a way. You are just a Mu-servant," he scolded her.

Lily decided to pretend he hadn't slipped up there. That was not something she wanted to deal with. "Do you know what he did to her?" she hissed instead.

"It doesn't matter! You are not to treat Mulciber like that!"

Lily was about to argue back but Goyle entered the room.

"The castle has been infiltrated. Emergency meeting in the Common Room!" he shouted. Snape kept calm and motioned for Lily to follow him out of the room, though she doesn't miss the sharp look he gives her, telling her that their argument isn't over.

All the prominent residents of Slytherin Castle are in the Common Room once again, for the meeting. Except there are four extra men in there, of which Lily recognized only one – Potter.

Snape noticed the other men and scowled at them. He sat down in his chair at the head of the table and looked only at them.

"What do we owe the pleasure of the Marauders' company on this fine day?" he asked sardonically.

"I found them near the kitchens," said Crabbe. Snape's eyes flashed darkly.

"And what were they doing there?" Snape asked. Lily was forcefully reminded of her first day at the castle, nearly a fortnight ago.

This time, Potter spoke up. "Oh, no reason. We've just received word of how you're treating your servants and we wanted to check up on them," he explained, falsely sweet. His friend – who had sandy blond hair, green eyes, and a scarred face – glared at him.

Mulciber growled. "From who?" he demanded.

Potter smirked. "An inside source."

"Or, should we say, _previously_ inside source," Potter's friend – this one had long, dark hair and grey eyes, strongly reminding Lily of Black – said.

Lily suddenly realized where Mary was.

"Have you stolen my Mudblood?" Mulciber shouted.

Potter gave him a disgusted look. "_Stolen_ _your_ _Mudblood_? The fact that you can say that normally is a problem in itself."

"She was not yours to take!" Mulciber complained insolently.

"Yeah, well, she wasn't yours to keep, either!" Potter countered.

The room was quiet for a moment and Potter looked around. He caught Lily's eye. He looked determined about something and she averted her eyes before she became too dedicated to finding out.

"All we want to know is," started the friend with the sandy blond hair sensibly, "is what you've been planning to do recently."

"Where do you come off, Lupin, asking of such things?" Nott sneered.

"We'd just like to know – for the wellbeing of both kingdoms," Lupin said calmly.

"'For the wellbeing' – you are so full of shit, Lupin," Nott said.

The friend with dark hair stepped forward, pushing Lupin back. Lily noticed Black's eyes following him longingly and hungrily.

"What are you playing at, Nott? We've seen you going to Ravenclaw Castle – don't deny it! Your precious _master_ is planning something and we will find out!" he yelled. He looked like a madman, in that moment, his eyes crazed and angry.

Snape smirked. "Unfortunately, Black, I do not know what you're talking about," he said.

Everyone in the room was aware that he was lying, but Lily wasn't focused on that. She was too busy connecting the two Blacks, who were both trying to watch each other discreetly.

"Tell me, Potter, does _your_ precious _king_ approve of you being here?" sneered Snape.

Potter wasn't fazed. "Somethings have to be done. For the greater good."

"But I thought you were supposed to be perfect and pure… Surely, going against King Dumbledore isn't good," Snape mocked.

"Maybe. But stopping Riddle matters much more to me," Potter said.

"You dare refer to our Lord in such a casual way?" Avery hissed.

"He's hardly _my_ Lord. I answer only to the King," Potter sneered.

"Listen, we're not asking for trouble," the last friend who had been silent up until this point said. He was small and a bit chubby, with blond hair and watery blue eyes. The defiant way he had spoken contradicted his appearance; Lily had to do a double take.

Lupin, beside him, nodded his head.

"Well, of course you wouldn't, Pettigrew," mocked Snape.

Pettigrew's friends narrowed their eyes.

"What," Potter started in a dangerous voice, "do you mean by _that_?"

"It doesn't matter right now, James," Lupin said quietly. Potter's glare did not cease but he relented.

"I guess we'll be seeing each other again soon?" Black asked hatefully, staring at his brother.

"Undoubtedly," said the other Black with as much hate as his brother.

The Maraduers, as Snape had called them, strutted out of the room and no Slytherin made an move to stop them.

Snape turned to Nott. "It seems you've been careless. I would send someone else had Lord Riddle not been coming so soon," he sneered, rising from his seat.

The residents had their 'Mudbloods' – Mulciber's name had stuck – follow them out the room.

"Snape," Lily said once there were back in his quarters. "What is Lord Riddle planning?"

"All in due time, Evans," was all he had said in reply.

* * *

Slowly – so slowly it had almost passed Lily's notice – Snape started treating Lily more like a servant and less like a friend.

She pretended not to realize. She tried to pretend she didn't see the lustful looks he'd often give her. She tried to block out what had happened to Mary. Snape was better than that, she'd keep telling herself, but it stopped feeling like the truth after a while.

The supposed arrival of Lord Riddle was becoming a larger threat. Lily only truly acknowledged the importance of this when Potter had arrived once again, only days after the emergency meeting.

He struck up a conversation with her while she was bringing him to Snape's quarters.

"Evans…" he whispered. "Mary, she's safe at Gryffindor Castle right now." Lily's interest was piqued.

"So you were the one who got her out, then?" she asked him. He shook his head.

"She got out on her own, we only helped."

"We?" she asked.

He grinned lopsidedly. "The Marauders. I'm sure Snape's said lovely things about us,"

"He has," Lily said.

"Good… But, back to Mary, she wanted me to get you out as well," Potter said.

Lily gaped at him. "She did?"

"Yes. You aren't safe here-"

"And I supposed I'll be safe at Gryffindor? The people in this kingdom killed my parents. Nowhere here is safe."

"The residents of Gryffindor aren't like that. We've been fighting _for_ the Muggles. It's residents of Slytherin that you have to watch out for."

"Snape has treated me well," she told him coolly.

Potter snorted. "Can't wait to see how long that'll last."

Lily knew he was right, but she stayed cold. "How am I supposed to know if Gryffindor residents are good?"

"I'm trying to get you out. You've seen what we've done against Slytherin."

"What if I like it here?"

Potter snorted yet again. "You do not. You want out and I can get you out."

She glared at him for assuming things of her. "We're here," she said frostily. He looked affronted, but he walked through the open doors anyway.

"Potter," spat Snape, "I've seen you much too frequently lately."

"Snape. The pleasure's all mine," Potter said, suddenly aloof.

"What are you doing here, _again_?"

"I want to know what is going on with Riddle. I'm not afraid to use force," threatened Potter.

"Well, that doesn't sound pure and innocent to me."

Potter took a step closer to the armchair Snape was lounging in. "Listen, this isn't a game, Snape. People will die, and I'm not going to let that happen."

"Potter, you can't be the hero all the time, you arrogant swine."

Potter stepped closer. "I can sure as hell try."

Snape's hands found something in his pocket. "Potter, you cannot win."

"I can't lose either," Potter said, taking another step closer.

"You're just a pawn in Dumbledore's game. I, on the other hand, am one of Lord Riddle's most faithful and trusted servants. You will not – you cannot – win this battle."

Potters hands grabbed Snape by the collar and pulled him up. "Lord Riddle won't be able to help you when King Dumbledore's in charge."

Snape took the something he had found in his pocket out. It was a pocketknife.

"You gonna use that on me, Snape?" mocked Potter.

"Yes," Snape replied, completely serious.

The next things happened in slow motion. Potter punched Snape in the nose, breaking it, if the resounding crunch was anything to go by. Lily started to rush over to help her friend. Snape slashed his knife against Potter's check and blood splayed all over his clothes. Lily shoved Potter off Snape and looked at both men challengingly.

Potter just smirked. "You're lucky Evans was here to protect you-"

"I don't need a filthy Mudblood like her to protect me!" Snape yelled. Lily gasped and Snape turned away from the drama of the moment to understand what he had just said. He looked at Lily with remorse.

Lily wanted to stomp away from both of them, but she knew she couldn't. Snape was still her master. She wanted to scream and yell and shout at both Snape and Potter – and at herself for deluding herself in the first place.

"Are you going to tell me what is going on?" Potter asked, oblivious to Lily's trauma.

"No! You'll find out soon, Potter," Snape said, his sneer more present than ever.

Potter took this as his cue to leave, but not without a significant look in Lily's direction.

* * *

Lily saw Potter again that night. It wasn't in a comforting way.

She felt someone shaking her from her restless sleep. She tried to ignore it, telling herself it was just a dream. They shook again. Lily thought it might not have been a dream this time.

It was the third time the hands shook when Lily woke up – only to find herself staring right into vaguely familiar hazel eyes.

She started to scream but he held a hand over her mouth. Now that there was adrenaline keeping her awake, she realized she was staring into the face of James Potter.

"Potter," she hissed, "what are you doing here?"

"Getting you out. I doubt you'd still want to be here after what happened earlier today," he explained, pulling her up to stand. Lily knew that he was right, but her pride got in the way.

"You should stop assuming things of people," she said coldly. Potter rolled his eyes.

"C'mon, Evans. Mary wants to make sure your safe, and you can't possibly still want to be Snape's servant," he said, dragging her out of the servants' quarters.

Lily decided not to answer. Potter smirked smugly.

They entered the kitchen. It was completely deserted and Lily wondered how now one in Slytherin had the brains to put a guard there. They were all certainly smart enough to think that far – so why hadn't they?

Potter seemed to know what she was thinking. "They keep it open in case anyone wants a midnight snack," he said, clearly amused. Lily was too, but her almost-two-weeks at the castle had taught her how to control her emotions.

He opened the window – the very same one that had gotten Lily into that mess in the first place – and grinned at her. "Ladies first."

She scowled at him, but went through the window first, regardless.

Once she was out of the mostly green and silver and able to see the stone outer walls yet again, she grinned, almost unwillingly. It was unbelievably refreshing to be out the castle after so long.

Potter crawled out after her. He grabbed her hand and Lily tried hard to distract herself from the fact that they fit. Even though his were calloused and large and hers were soft and small, they fit.

"Where is Gryffindor Castle?" she asked him curiously after a while of walking. He grinned at her, looking in the distance in the pitch black night.

"Not far," was all he said and Lily glared at him. She hated being left out of the loop.

After what seemed like hours of searching the dark night fruitlessly to Lily, they had arrived at a stone castle that looked just like Slytherin Castle from the outside.

Lily swallowed.

Potter strolled up to the entrance and one of the guards nodded at him. "Potter. Who's this?" he asked.

"Evans – a former servant at Slytherin." This seemed to have explained everything to the guard, because he stepped aside.

On the inside, Gryffindor Castle finally started showing some distinction from Slytherin. Instead of green, the walls were pointed scarlet, with gold banners. It wasn't cold but warm. To Lily, it gave off a welcoming feeling that Slytherin never had.

Potter led her to a room on one of the higher floors. "Your quarters," he explained, seeing her confused look.

Lily felt bewildered – when she had went to sleep that night she was a servant, now she had her own quarters.

She smile genuinely at Potter – how could she not? He had done so much for her and she had been nothing but rude to him in return.

"Thank you, Potter," she said graciously. He beamed at her, a much kinder smile from his usual grin.

"James. You're a Gryffindor resident now," Potter – no, James – said, heading for the door.

"Then, you can call me Lily. James," she added as an afterthought.

He just smiled at her in response and left the room.

Lily fell down on her bed, reveling in the fact that it was not the floor.

* * *

She was woken by James again in the morning.

"Good morning," he said hurriedly, ushering her up out of bed. "You've got to get ready, now."

She tilted her head, confused. "Why?"

"King Dumbledore wants to see you. And so does Lady McGonagall," James explained.

"Who's Lady McGonagall?" she asked as he buzzed around the room, looking for clothing for her to where. This was odd, to her, because she hadn't brought any clothes, other than the ones on her back.

"She's Head of Gryffindor," he said simply, coming out the closet that she only just noticed with a scarlet dress and cream petticoat in his arms.

"Why do they want to see me?" she asked.

"You sure are curious, Lily," he said. She flushed. "You're new here; they just want to talk to you."

"Oh." Lily got up to stand behind him and look at the outfit he'd laid out. "You're awfully good at this," she teased. She swore she saw him pink slightly.

"Be quiet. Just put it on and meet me in the Common Room later," he said and bustled out of the room.

Lily was left wondering where the Gryffindor Common Room was.

When she was dressed in the outfit James picked out, she wandered out into the hall, cursing him. She walked aimlessly around, looking for the Common Room. She hoped it looked like the Slytherin one.

But, she was saved, when a tanned girl crashed into her. The girl had curly black hair and eyes the same color, and she held out a hand to help Lily up when she saw who she'd run over.

"Sorry!" she apologized but Lily wasn't complaining. Though her hip hurt a bit, finding the Common Room was top priority at the moment and this was her opportunity.

"No, it's fine! It's just-" Lily was interrupted by the other girl.

"Hey… I don't know you… Who are you?" she asked.

"I – uh – I'm L-Lily Evans," Lily stuttered.

The girl smiled brightly. "I'm Dorcas Meadowes. I've heard of you – James and Mary have been talking about getting you out of the castle ever since she got here."

"Oh. Can you – um – show me where the, uh, Common Room is?" Lily asked regretfully. She had wanted to find out all about Dorcas but she knew the King came first.

Dorcas smiled. "Follow me, it's just down the hall, actually," she said, grabbing Lily's wrist. Dorcas had not lied – the Common Room had been down the hall. Lily was surprised at its appearance – it looked absolutely nothing like Slytherin's Common Room. It was spacious and comfy and red; Slytherin's had been stuffy and tough and green. Everyone hung out in there – together – laughing and joking in a way that Slytherin's residents had yet to come by.

Lily barely had the time to plop down into one of the scarlet armchairs when James came up to her.

"No time to rest, Lily, we've to go to King Dumbledore's Griffin Castle," he said and grabbed her hand again. Lily didn't think it was an accident.

"Thanks, Dorcas." He waved at her before they were out the doors of the Common Room again.

"Where is this Griffin Castle?" she asked him after a while.

James grinned. "It's not far from here, don't worry."

She gave him a sideways look. "The same not far as last night?'

His grin only broadened. "Closer."

Lily could only be satisfied with this answer – it's more than she'd usually get.

They leave the castle without question from the guards and, it turned out the James was correct, for the Griffin Castle was only minutes away from Gryffindor.

It was a small castle – compared to Slytherin and Gryffindor. There were two gargoyles positioned on either side of the entrance, shaped like griffins and the name made sense to Lily. Standing in front of the door was a woman, wearing a long green dress. Her graying black hair was twisted up bun and her lips were pressed into a thin line – it looked regular for her, to Lily.

"Potter," the woman greeted. She looked to Lily, "Is this Evans?"

"Yes," said James. "Lily, this is Lady McGonagall, Head of Gryffindor."

"Pleasure to make your acquaintance," Lily said politely. McGonagall smiled tightly and she opens the door for them. It revealed a spiral staircase and Lily and James started to climb it, with McGonagall trailing behind.

James pushed open the door at the top of the staircase and Lily was once again amazed. The room bristled with knickknacks and trinkets and things that looked completely useless and things that looked unnecessarily complicated. In the middle of the room was a desk and there, an old man sat. He had a long white beard and silver eyebrows, a long nose, which looked as if it had been broken at least once, and, to top it off, he was wearing deep purple robes.

"Hello, Mr. Potter, it's good to see you on this fine morning," he said, motioning for James to take a seat. He obliged and, when she didn't follow, pulled Lil down to sit in the chair next to his.

"King Dumbledore." James bowed his head respectfully. Lily copied the action.

"And this is Ms. Evans, I assume?" the king asked.

Lily nodded hesitantly. "Yes, Sir."

"It's very nice to meet you, then," said Dumbledore. "I hope the castle has been treating you well – I'm sure your time in Slytherin hadn't been pleasant."

He was right, it hadn't been.

"But, what I'm wondering is, do you know anything of the supposed attack coming soon?" he asked, sending a not-so subtle, stern look at James, who looked away.

Lily nodded again. "Lord Riddle, they say, is coming soon to try and recruit some new followers."

"What was Nott doing at Ravenclaw?" It was James who asked this time.

"To ask of their allegiance."

"I was under the impression they were loyal to the King," Lady McGonagall said curiously.

"Not all of them, apparently," said King Dumbledore.

"But there's more," Lily said, remembering something else said at the meeting. "The guards have lists of everyone who came in and out of the castle – I don't know what they plan to do with them, though. And Snape believes he has now a way to stop you – meaning: King Dumbledore, James, Black, Lupin, and Pettigrew."

They were quiet for a moment, taking it all in, before the king spoke again. "Do you know when Lord Riddle is arriving?" he asked calmly.

Lily thought for a while. "The meeting was thirteen days ago. Snape had said they only had a fortnight."

"So – tomorrow? He's coming tomorrow?" James asked in a strained voice, as if he was fighting hard to stay calm.

Lily nodded.

* * *

The walk back to Gryffindor Castle was silent. James was not holding her hand and she tried not to notice how much she'd rather he was.

When they had arrived back at the Common Room, they weren't expecting it to be just as silent as their walk. The tension was nearly corporeal and, almost at once, Black, Lupin, and Pettigrew were at their side.

"James," Lupin started, "Benjy says that Nott's stopped coming to Ravenclaw."

James smiled humorlessly. "Figures," was all he said. He walked to the front of the Common Room, and his friends knew to follow him without question. James faced the other residents.

"Attention everybody!" he yelled and, instantaneously, everyone turned to him. Lily was stunned at the effect he had.

"Nott has stopped coming to Ravenclaw, as we all know," he said seriously. "I also know… Riddle is supposed to be arriving. Tomorrow."

Every resident's expression went from optimistic to terrified.

The first person to recover their voice was Pettigrew. "T-tomorrow? Riddle will be here – tomorrow?!"

"Yes. We'll have to put the castle under lockdown." James eyed the residents curiously. "Unless… Are any of you willing to fight?"

Six hands rose into the air. Lily was surprised to find her hand one of them. The other hands belonged to Black, Lupin, Pettigrew, Dorcas, and one other girl standing with her.

"You don't have too…" said James.

Black rolled his eyes. "We want to. I know you do, too."

The unknown girl grinned wryly. "What, Potter, scared?"

James grinned back at her. "For your lives, maybe, but not my own, sorry, McKinnon."

"Oh, I forgot about that faithful hero complex," she said, smiling fondly.

James returned her smile and then faced the other residents once again. "Tomorrow, no one can leave the castle. We'll be on full lockdown."

He turned away from the residents. The group of hand-raisers made their way over to him.

"Dumbledore's not going to like this," James said, but it didn't seem like he much cared.

"Neither is McGonagall," said Lupin regretfully.

"You say that as if it's going to stop us," said Black amusedly. Lupin directed a glare at him, but it was playful.

"Oh, I know it won't, I just won't be happy about it," he said.

"Do we know what time he's coming?" Dorcas asked sensibly.

"No. We got everything we know from Lily here," said James. Lily blushed faintly.

"I don't think we've been properly introduced," Black said in a tone that unnerved Lily slightly, holding out a hand. "I'm Sirius Black. I'm sure you've met my brother," he added, suddenly bitter.

"Uh, I have. I'm Lily Evans," she said, accepting his offered hand.

Lupin spoke up next, also holding out a hand for her to shake. "I'm Remus Lupin." Lily shook his hand next.

"I'm Peter Pettigrew," Pettigrew said and Lily shook his hand as well.

"I'm Marlene McKinnon," said the blonde girl, smiling brightly at Lily, despite the circumstances.

Everyone except Lily looked at Dorcas expectantly. "What?" she asked, irritated. "We've already met."

"Oh," said James apologetically. They started to talk about something Lily didn't understand, and she felt very out of place, in spite of the welcoming nature Gryffindor Castle had always had to her.

They tried to include her and it did help slightly. The highlight of the evening, truthfully, was when she had met up with Mary once again. Though it had only been a few days, it felt like a much longer time since she'd seen her friend. And she felt much more comfortable with Mary than the others.

The night was spent talking apprehensively about the next day, getting to know one another, and catching up. It was the most Lily had been permitted to talk in a long time. She was exhausted by the time she had decided to go up to her quarters. To her shock, James had gone with her.

"Lily," he had started when there were back in her quarters, "are you sure you want to go tomorrow?"

She glared at him. "What are you suggesting?"

"Well, anything could to happen tomorrow… You could get hurt – or worse. Much worse," he said concernedly.

Her face softened at his compassion. "I know what could happen. I'm not fragile. I don't need to be protected."

He smiled at her. "You're so brave, Lily," he said quietly, staring at in her eyes.

Lily felt distinctly uncomfortable, but she refused to back down. She stared back and discovered it'd be quite easy to get lost doing just that.

He turned away and left the room, successfully dispersing the tangible something that had been forming between them.

* * *

Yet again, Lily was woken by James.

She opened her eyes to his worried face and immediately felt concern build up in her gut.

"What's wrong?" she asked him.

"He's here. Much earlier than anticipated." She instantly knew who he was talking about and shot out of bed.

"Met me in the Common Room. Quick!" he said, hurrying out of the room.

Lily's hands were shaking as they picked out some of the clothing in the closet hastily, not caring too much what they took out.

When she got to the Common Room, she saw only James, Sirius, Remus, Peter, Dorcas, and Marlene – a big difference from the whole of the residents there last night.

James walked over and handed her a pocketknife to use. "Here – you'll need it."

She thanked him and the rest of the group made their way over.

"We've to go now," said Remus.

"He's right – Lady McGonagall and King Dumbledore have already left," Marlene said, and they all looked at each other closely. A message seemed to be passing through them: try not to die, please. And they would.

"Okay, let's-" James started to say, but he was cut off by a loud explosion. They didn't even need to communicate – they started running in the direction of the doors.

The street was torn apart from the explosion. There was chaos everywhere and, in the distance, they spotted people dressed in old-fashioned black cloaks. The cloaked figures were setting things on fire like frantic pyromaniacs and shooting down anyone who got in their way.

Lily felt, for what seemed like the first time, true fear course through her. She couldn't focus on anything other than the arsonists. They were heading towards her and she ran off in the other direction, losing the rest of the group of young fighters.

She ran until her legs hurt and her lungs burned. She stopped, resting against a building and coughing fiercely. She looked for Gryffindor Castle in the distance. It was fine, but around it was still chaotic. She saw fire and smoke rising into the air and wished she had the bravery necessary to go back.

She dropped to the ground, for the smoke was too heavy in the air. She crawled in the direction of the castle, not really knowing where she was going.

Lily heard screaming – some anguished, others in pain, and the rest desperate – and her heart ached for all of the people. And then, she heard familiar male voices getting closer and closer to her.

"– join me, Reg-" one of them was panting. The same voice grunted.

"Join you, brother? After you ditched me?" the other voice yelled angrily.

"I want you to come – be on the right side!" He grunted again.

"I am on the right side!" He groaned. Lily understood that he had been hit by his 'brother'.

They kept fighting as Lily slowly crept away from them, not wanting to be seen. Her efforts proved futile when one of the brothers was thrown down onto the ground next to her.

"Reg! This isn't over!" he yelled, wheezing in pain. His brother seemed to have run away, if the heavy footsteps were anything to go by.

"Aw…fuck…" he grunted clutching his arm. Lily realized where she had heard that voice before – she had heard it numerous times the night previous, after all.

"Si-Sirius?" she asked.

"Lil-Lily?" he panted.

"Yeah – yeah, it's me," she said, crawling over to him. She was horrified with the sight. Sirius's face was bloody and almost unrecognizable. His lip was busted and one of his eyes was swollen shut. He looked nothing like the handsome young man of last night.

"Do I look okay?" he joked, somehow finding the strength for it. She laughed shakily.

"Perfectly fine," she lied, before remembering their situation once again. "Did you see where any of the others went?"

"No," he answered regretfully. "My eyes were on the Death Eaters."

"The whats?" she asked, never having heard the name before.

"Riddle's followers – that's what they call themselves."

"Oh," she said. "Well, let's go, we have to find the others."

"No, don't you remember last night? We're supposed to go to Hogsmeade stand guard. The rest will be there, too," he said reasonably. It was about the only time he'd ever said something that way.

Lily nodded, understanding. Sirius started to get up, but she pulled him down. "There's too much smoke," she said, "it'll be safer for us to go this way."

He made a sound in agreement and they start inching their way towards the barrier of Hogsmeade. It's a small town in between the Muggle Kingdom and the Hogwarts Kingdom. Only Hogwartians are allowed to enter it, though.

Sirius had turned out correct, because Remus was already in the town. Lily had deemed it safe for them to walk a few meters back and they ran up to him.

"Have you seen the others?" was Lily's first question. Remus shot her a meaningful look, as if he knew exactly who she was so anxious to ensure safe. Lily had to fight a blush.

"No," he said knowingly. "But I'm sure they're on their on their way. And so are Riddle and his Death Eaters."

"Right," Lily said uneasily and she wondered if she was really being that transparent.

Remus started explaining the plan he had formed in his head while he was waiting in Hogsmeade. Lily was going to be stationed at the far left, with James standing close by. Sirius and Marlene would be at the far right, and Remus, Peter, and Dorcas would guard the middle.

Lily only hoped they'd be able to pull it off.

Dorcas has shown up next, looking much like Sirius had – horrid. Her hair was all over the place, she was sweating profusely, and her entire person was covered in dirt. She looked disgusted at herself, as well.

"I feel like shit," was what she had said in greeting. Sirius smirked.

"You look like it, too," he said.

Dorcas laughed in his face. "You aren't in much of a place to talk."

Remus explained his plan to her and she got positioned, an unwavering look on her face. Lily thought she looked remarkably frightening, especially with the harried appearance.

Peter came next. His entire body was dirty, as if he had been rolling on the ground. His face was smudged with ash.

"Bloody…pleasant…those Death…Eaters are," he wheezed out. Remus helped him up and told him about the plan.

Marlene was the next to arrive. It seemed she had gotten out mostly unscathed. She flashed them a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.

"Fancy seeing you all again. Lily, I'd never seen anyone run that fast," she teased. Remus, once again, told her of his plans and she went to wait with Sirius.

It was a while before James came. When he did, they could hardly tell it was the same James Potter. In fact, the only clue they had to go by was the wide grin on his face. He was bleeding and bruised, caked with a thick layer of grime. He may have thrown himself – headfirst – into the battle.

"Hullo. Beautiful day, isn't it?" he asked rhetorically, his eyes shining with mischief. Remus, for the fifth time that day, explained his plan and James followed accordingly.

"What's got you so happy?" she asked him once he had stationed himself next to her. He handed her a gun nonchalantly.

"I don't know. Adrenaline? I feel rejuvenated," he said, grinning like a fool.

Lily regarded him with a look that reflected her feelings towards that – was he crazy?

"You're mad," she said, turning away from him.

"What's wrong with that?" he asked, also facing forward. Lily did not answer – she _could not _answer for she saw a fire blaze up, licking the sky, not too far away.

"They're coming," she said suddenly. James looked alert immediately.

The Death Eaters were marching their way towards them, still lighting their path with flames. Leading the way was a man Lily had never seen before. He had a handsome face, with dark hair and equally dark eyes. And he would've been attractive, had it not been for the malice in his eyes, burning harder than the fire behind him.

"Is that – is that Riddle?" Lily asked James quietly. He nodded. Lily felt loathing boil in her gut – this was the man responsible for all this. This was the man responsible for her parents' deaths.

BOOM.

Lily felt herself fly back, she didn't know how far. She hit her head hard on the ground and a high pitched ringing was all she could hear. She looked around, but there was just dust and fire and smoke. A faint high, cruel laugh started to fill her ears. It got louder and louder until it was all she could hear. She covered ears – not wanting to hear the horrible sound – but it continued to bounce around in her head. Unrelenting explosions resounded in her ears and she screamed in distress.

"Lily!" a voice called. Lily shut her eyes tight and pressed her hands harder into her ears, trying to block out all sounds. Unexpectedly, hands grabbed her.

"Lily! Come on – we have to move fast!" the voice yelled at her. She warily opened her eyes to see James' face right in front of hers. She got up.

"Wha…What's going on?" she asked dazedly.

"They're throwing bombs – quick, we've got to push back!" He pulled her to her feet and they ran as far back as possible, even though her head was spinning and everything sounded suspiciously louder.

Another explosion sounded.

"Guns out," James said, now much more calm. Lily obliged, though she fumbled a bit.

Guns fired all around them, making it harder for Lily to stay focused. James grabbed her hand and squeezed it reassuringly. She clung to his hand, the warmth was familiar to her and she smiled unwillingly. If James was there, she would be safe.

A woman cackled.

More gunshots were fired off, accompanied by yells.

"We should go forward. Fight," James suggested, seemingly on edge from the sounds. Lily admired his nerve and wished she had that courage.

Lily nodded, regardless of her doubts. James slowly pulled her forward. The smoke cleared a bit, but the sight was no better.

There was blood and bodies and Lily felt bile rise in her throat. Here she was in the middle of a battlefield, _without_ the outstanding bravery she was supposed to have acquired by then.

All the Death Eaters were masked and each of their friends was fighting one of them. Suddenly, a gun was fired near them and James yanked them down to the ground.

"Cowardly, that," a sneering voice commented. Both Lily and James recognized it instantly and stood up.

"Says the one in the mask," James growled, gripping his gun harder. His hand never left Lily's, though.

"Evans?" Snape asked sharply, spotting her. She smiled thinly.

"Snape," she acknowledged coldly.

"I should've known, Potter," he said, motioning to their clasped hands.

"Yeah, you really should've," James replied. "Now, if you'll excuse us, we've a battle to fight." He sidestepped Snape quickly – before the other man had a chance to move, really – and pulled Lily along.

They didn't get too far. Snape must've alerted Riddle of their attendance, because the handsome man was their next obstacle.

"Potter? And a Muggle?" he questioned in a mocking tone. "Isn't this interesting?"

"I suppose," James said coldly. He squeezed Lily's hand, reassuring her, even in the face of their biggest enemy.

"Oh, Potter, you were always idiotically brave," Riddle sneered.

"It's better to be idiotically brave rather than foolishly cowardly," Lily spoke up, emboldened by James' presence. Or, maybe she had been brave all along and he helped her find it.

Riddle looked shocked, before his features fell back into their regular sneer. "Stupid girl – you'll be the first dead, if you keep this up."

"'Dying on the right side is better than living on the wrong one,'" Lily quoted, shooting a smile at James. He looked proud.

"Would you like to put that theory to test?" Riddle grinned maliciously. The intent to maim was extremely present in his eyes.

"If it means taking you down, you can bet on it, Riddle," said Lily.

Riddle looked outraged at how she had addressed him, but he hadn't the time to do anything about it. The arrival of a certain resistance order had fully captured his attention.

King Dumbledore, flanked by the boldest of the bold, strode determinedly into the now-desolate town of Hogsmeade. His eyes sought out those of Riddle. A look of fear flitted onto the enemy's face, before it was replaced with anger.

He growled, and the next things happened so fast, Lily wasn't sure it had actually happened.

Riddle threw down a bomb and, while it wasn't as large as his other bombs, smoke covered the battlefield and Lily and James were thrown back once again.

When they found the strength to sit up again, Riddle was nowhere in sight.

James and Lily exchanged bewildered looks.

The Death Eaters seemed to have understood it was time to retreat.

One last gunshot fired.

Lily felt James fall down beside her and a cold fist gripped her heart.

* * *

Hysterics.

That was the only way Lily could describe the last few hours.

Her attention was focused all on James, who had been shot in the shoulder. They had to get all of the fighters to the hospital to get healed, but she refused to leave his side. Even when Lady McGonagall had been scolding them for going on such a misadventure.

Lily had desperately held his limp hand, wishing it was warm and squeezing her own, like it had when James had been conscious. Tears streamed down her face, no matter how much she had willed them not to.

Now they were in the hospital and Lily was still holding his hand as if it were a lifeline. It felt like it was. She wondered when she had become so attached to James Potter – when she had started needing him so much it hurt.

She felt his hand twitch in hers, and she watched with rapt attention as he forced his eyes to open. She could've cried with joy at seeing his hazel eyes open once again.

Lily hugged him and he chuckled uneasily. "I thought you were dead," she whispered sadly in his ear.

"I'm not very easy to kill," he said amusedly. She pulled back to grin dazzlingly at him.

"I'm so happy you're alright," she said. And then her maternal senses turned on. "Are you okay? Tired? Do you want to sleep?"

He smiled wearily at her. "I'm a little tired, yeah."

She pushed him down onto the bed, but never relinquished her hold on his hand. "Sleep," she commanded and he willingly did what she asked.

Lily soon fell asleep herself, feeling peaceful.

* * *

McGonagall had been the one to wake her up.

"Evans." She prodded the girl gently. Lily woke up reluctantly.

"Yes?" she asked groggily.

"King Dumbledore would like to see you and Potter at the Griffin Castle at noon," Lady McGonagall informed her before walking briskly out of the room again.

Lily took it upon herself to wake James. "James," she whispered.

"James," she tried again, more firmly.

"_James_," she said once more, impatiently this time, poking his side with her fingers. James jerked awake.

"Ouch," was all he said as he sat up, being careful on his bandaged shoulder. "What is it, Lily?"

"King Dumbledore wants to see us." He looked about as puzzled as she felt.

They didn't question it, however, as they travelled back to Gryffindor to get changed. Maybe they should've, Lily thought, when they arrived at the Griffin Castle, only to be shocked by all the people cramped into the small space.

Lily only recognized Sirius, Remus, Peter, Marlene, Dorcas, McGonagall, and Dumbledore. That left seventeen unidentified people.

Dumbledore cleared his throat. "While I don't entirely approve of the actions taken by you residents yesterday, I still believe this invitation is in order."

Lily exchanged confused looks with her fellow residents. "An invitation to what, Sir?" she asked.

"The Order of the Phoenix." He indicated to the people in the room.

"You – you want us to be Order members?" Remus stuttered, having heard of the organization before.

"Yes. I'll give you some time to think it over," he offers. Lily smiled gratefully, though she thought that they were all in too far to get out now.

She opened her mouth to speak, but James tugged on her hand. "We'll, uh, talk in the hall."

Their friends sent them perplexed looks, but they ignored them.

"Do you want to do this?" he asked her, once they were alone.

"Yes. I want to fight. I'm not going to let Riddle kill more innocent people for his arrogance," she said truthfully. She really didn't want anyone to die.

"I don't want him to kill you," he confessed. "I won't let him."

She smiled at him. They stared at each other, and the next thing either of them knew, her arms were wound around his neck and his were wrapped around her waist and they were kissing.

It wasn't the desperate kind of kiss – like the ones in romance novels – instead it's slow and sweet, as if they knew there were going to be doing this eventually. As if they knew they'd get all of eternity to do it again.

And they would. In a way.

They went back into the room, smiling, and they said it simultaneously. "We're in."

* * *

Petunia Dursley opened her front door, not expecting to see a baby sleeping peacefully there.

She shrieked.

The innocent looking baby with the tuft of soft, black hair opened its eyes, yawning with that tiny mouth of his. Petunia was ready to scream again. She would know those green eyes anywhere – they belonged to her sister. The sister she hadn't seen or heard from in years.

The baby had come with a letter, telling her of its name – Harry James Potter, the only evidence left of her sister's now lost life.

Petunia remembered telling her sister not to go that day, so long ago. Her stubborn sister wouldn't listen. Petunia remembered swearing she'd never forgive her sister if she left that day.

She never had.

And now she would never get the chance.


End file.
